Our Focus Areas
The Rita June Foundation is focused on education, eliminating homelessness and food insecurity to help provide services to better our community and the next generation.
Food
Shelter
Education
Community
Food
In 2022, the U.S. Department of Agriculture reported that 17 million households experienced some form of food insecurity. That year, 12.8% of the country lacked the basic resources to feed themselves and their children. Unreliable transportation, inaccessible fresh produce, food deserts, and fixed or limited incomes only exacerbate the problem.
Food insecurity has been identified as a consistent deficit in LDG Development communities. Through conducting Community Needs Assessments, our onsite Resident Services Coordinators can identify outstanding challenges and recurring shortfalls.
The first inception of a continual food distribution program was piloted in Louisville, KY, in July of 2023. What began as a desire to feed kids in the summer quickly grew into a multi-state initiative to provide supplementary food items year-round. One program morphed into four site-specific pantries in Louisville and six additional pantries across Austin, Dallas-Fort Worth, San Marcos, San Antonio, and Houston. Within twelve months, the Rita June Foundation made it possible to distribute over 61,000 food items and dedicated $60,000 in support.
Through the generosity of corporate and community partners, the foundation has collected $60,000 that went directly into constructing, establishing, and strengthening the ten property-based food pantries.
Shelter
The Arthur Street Hotel (ASH) opened in October 2022 to address Louisville’s homelessness crisis. In January 2024, 595 unique individuals were counted as sleeping in places not meant for human habilitation, including on the streets and in abandoned buildings.
In its first year of operation, ASH offered shelter and housing navigation services to 319 individuals, 162 of whom moved into permanent housing following their stay. These individuals moved into ASH from Louisville streets across the city, reducing the number of individuals relying on tents and goodwill for survival. By providing shelter, positive relationships, and wraparound services within a Housing First and Harm Reduction model, ASH aims to stabilize and house vulnerable individuals. A private room offers dignity, stability, and agency. We strive to respect clients’ choices while supporting them by providing them with more options. ASH staff also support clients in building the skills they need to maintain a permanent home.
Our mission is to offer community, advocacy, resources, and empowerment (C.A.R.E.) to unsheltered individuals and those experiencing housing instability. We connect them to wellness, stability, and housing opportunities with dignity and respect.
The C.A.R.E. at Arthur Street Hotel is located at 1620 Arthur Street, Louisville, KY 40208. For additional information, visit careatash.org.
Education
The Rita June Foundation enthusiastically champions the belief that education should be accessible and equitable for all. Our dedication to quality, out-of-school-time learning has breathed life into a series of academic endeavors, including after-school clubs, middle school tutoring, and academically driven summer camps.
It takes a village to raise a child–and even more hands to teach them! To broaden the horizons and enrich the experience of every young resident, we’ve partnered with sophisticated and varied providers, including Evolve502, I Would Rather be Reading, The Louisville Free Public Library, HoneyTree Publishing, and the KY Science Center.
Bezos Academy
The Bezos Academy is part of Jeff Bezos’ Day 1 Families Fund which was launched in 2018 and provides financial support to organizations doing “compassionate and needle-moving work to provide shelter support to address the immediate needs of young families.” This initiative was later expanded to include the Academies Fund, which is supported by $2.9 billion in funding from the Bezos Foundation and is dedicated to operating the Bezos Academy preschools across the United States.
The Louisville community has the opportunity to ensure more students enter kindergarten prepared and ready to learn thanks to a partnership between the Rita June Foundation and Bezos Academy. Bezos Academy is a network of tuition-free Montessori-inspired preschools that provide free full-day, year-round preschools for children 3-5 years old in underserved communities nationwide.
To support this effort and through the recently established Rita June Foundation, a group of civic, philanthropic, and political leaders is seeking to raise a one-time $10.5 million to support the construction of the three academies that will be opening in Louisville beginning in Fall 2025.
Community
The passion of the Rita June Foundation lies in enriching lives and bolstering a sense of belonging.
Community building is no simple feat! It takes a dynamic and intentional approach to transform the individual into the communal. Strong neighborhoods are brought to life by the active engagement of all stakeholders, from the youngest resident to the most seasoned leader.
This is why the Rita June Foundation supports programming that accommodates the interests of all community members. Out-of-school-time learning occupies students, on-site food pantries nourishes our families, and supportive services lead to comprehensive change.
We are proud to work with neighborhood organizations, including I Would Rather be Reading, the San Antonio Food Bank, Dare to Care, Norton Healthcare, JCTC, Port Wonder, the Louisville Free Public Library, HoneyTree Publishing, the Kentucky Science Center, and many more!